Portable electric lamp



DE WITT C. CONKLING.

PORTABLE ELECTRIC LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9,1917.

1,368,700. Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

IN VEA/ TOR Ill/Ill VWETQ UNITED PATENT OFFICE.

DE wrrr c. CONKLING, on NEW ironic, n. 1., Assionoa T0 PIONEER ENGINEERING coEronerIoN, on nEw YORK.-

roEmELE ELEcT Ic LAMP.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

Application filed June 9 1917. Serial No. 173,728.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, DE Wrrr C. CONK- LING, residing at-New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Electric Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a portable electric lamp, and the object thereof is to provide an electric lamp which will operate efiiciently without the use of batteries, and one in which the parts are of compact, durable and attractive arrangement.

A further object is to provide a lamp of this type which may be used either as a hand lamp, as a table lamp, or simply as a source of electric energy adapted to be tapped for supplying current to operate any suitable desired device or mechanism.

A further and more detailed object is to rovide a generator, motor means for drivmg the generator, means for governing the speed of, or even for stopping the operation of, the generator, thus controlling the quality or amount of current supplied, and all of said elements being in compact easily assembled correlation with each other.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less specific than those referred to above, will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts and applications of principles, constituting the invention; and the scope of protection contemplated will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying'drawings which are to be taken asa part of this specification, and in which I have shown merely apreferred form of embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view through a ance with this invention, parts of the mechanism being illustrated in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a a modification, and

I Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a further adaptation of the device.

Referring to the drawings for describing in detail the structure which is illustrated therein the reference character L indicates a casing. In the instance illustrated this casing 1s cylindrical and substantially of lamp constructed in accorddiagrammatic view illustrating is comprised in a spider 6 supported upon a transverse plate 7 of insulating material. A contact plate 8 is also supported by the insulating plate 7 and has a spring contact finger 9 disposed for engagement by the central contact of the bulb.

T he generator G is arranged within the casing beneath the insulating plate 7, be

'ing heldin position by being connected with a supporting frame 10 as by means of the screws 11.

The generator is arranged with its rotating axis vertical and substantially in common With the longitudinal central axis of the casing L.

The two contacts by means of which ourrent may be taken from the generator arepreferably in the form of'pins12 and 13 which project vertically upwardly from the generator in substantially parallel relation for engagement within contact sockets 14 and 15 respectively which are carried by and project downwardly from the insulating plate 7, the socket 14 being electrically connected with the contact plate 8 and finger 9,

and the socket 15 being electrically connected with the spider 6 and-.bulb-socket 5.- The insulating plate 7 rests upon the upper end surface portions 16 of the supporting frame 10 and may be readily removed after the collar 3 has been disconnected. .The act of inserting or removing the plate 7 thus makes or breaks the electrical connection with the generator.

When the parts are assembled the collar 3 not only holds the lens and reflector in position but, acting through the reflector, it presses downwardly upon the spider 6 and retains tion.

Beneath the generator G is a spring motor H. This may be of any suitable construction butin the drawings it is illustrated to consist of four barrels 17 properly connected as will be readily understood, with the rotating axis in vertical erly produce this result.

alinement with the shaft 18 of the generator G. A handle 19 is arranged exterlorly at the bottom of the casing for winding the s ring, and a sleeve 20 at the upper end of the top-most barrel is connected with the shaft 18 through the medium of a suitable reducing gear mechanism A; p

. The gear mechanism A may be of any form but is preferably of the planetary type. As shown in the drawings it consists of a plurality of internal gears 21 fixed to or made a part of the supporting frame 10 arranged one above the other. The sleeve 20 is directly connected to a plate 22 upon which is mounted two or more gears 23 which mesh with the lower-most fixed gear 21 and with a smaller inner gear 24 which is arranged between them and which Is loosely mounted to rotate upon an extension of the shaft 18. A second plate 25,

similar to the plate 22, is connected with the gear 24 and carries two or more gears 26 which mesh with the next fixed gear 21 also freel rotatable upon the shaft 18. This gear 2: has a plate 25 connected thereto in the same manner as has the gear 24.

The purpose of these gears is to transform the relatively slow movement of the sleeve 20 to a desirably high speed of rota tion for the shaft 18, and there may be as many sets of these gears as desired to'prop- All of the inner gears are loosely mounted upon the shaft 18 except the upper-most inner gear which is fixed to said shaft as at 28. Below the gear 28 the extension of the shaft 18 constitutes simply a convenient supporting medium for the other inner gears. I

As a governor means adapted for maintaining a uniform speed of rotation of the shaft 18 said shaft preferably carries a pair of weighted slides 29, supported in a suitable bracket 30 which is fixed to the upper end of the shaft. These slides are confined within a fixed friction ring 31 and are driven'by centrifugal force against the inner surface of said ring. The frictional resistance enerated will be in proportion to the spee of rotation of the shaft.

The reference character 32 indicates an operating rod which is conveniently controlled by a push-button 33 at its lower end. The upper end of the rod carries a pair of downwardly diverging springs 34 which are arranged between the opposing inner end of the weights 29 in such manner that when the rod is moved upwardly the springs will impart a resilient wedge-action against said weights pressing them outwardly with greater or less force according as the rod is pushed upwardly more or less. The springs may be provided with a series of stops 35 thereon for engagement within suitable notches 36 formed in the weights so as to releasably maintain the springs in any position of adjustment. Thus the springs may be adjusted to exert a very light pressure a ainst the weights or they may be adjusted to exert a heavier presure. When the rod is lifted sufiiciently to cause the lower-' construction of the governor device as shown are given simply for illustration and may belaltered at will to perform the desired resu ts.

In the modification Fig. 2 the structure is intended to be in all respects the same as that shown in Fig. 1 except that instead of employinga lens and deflector with a bulb in -the socket 5, a terminal plug 37 is fitted in said socket 5 and carries an extension cord 38 which leads inwardly through an insulated bushing 39 provided in a screw cover 40 which cover may displace the collar 3 or may be held in place by the collar 3 according to preference.

In the modification Fig. 3 the structure is intended to be identical with that shown in Fig. 1,v with the addition of a reflector legs 42.. Without the reflector 41 the device is particularly adapted for use as a hand light, whereas with the reflector in position it is adapted for use as a table lamp, the reflector 41 serving to direct the rays of light laterally in all directions instead of directly upwardly as in the structure of Fig. 1.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings," shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

. Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: p i

1. A portable electric lamp comprising a generator, :3. motor fordriving the generator, a supporting frame for supporting the generator in cooperative relation with the motor, and a planetary gear mechanism including a plurality of internal gears fixed to said suporting frame, including also a plurality of inner gears carried by the shaft of the generator, and a plurality of intermediate gears meshing between said internal gears and said inner gears.

2. A portable electric lamp comprising a cylindrical casing, a bulb therein at one end, a lens and a reflector associated with said bulb, a generator within the casing, a spring motor for driving the generator, a gear mechanism interposed between the generator and the motor, the generator, the motor, and the gear mechanism being substantially in alinement within the casing extending from the bulb toward the opposite end of the casing,'and electri al connections between the generator and the bulb.

3. A portable electric lamp comprising a cylindrical casing, a bulb therein at one end, a lens and a reflector associated with said bulb, a generator within the casing, a spring motor for driving the generator, a gear mechanism interposed between the generator and the motor, the generator, the motor and the gear mechanism being substantially in alinement within the casing extending from the bulb toward the opposite end of the casing, electrical connections between the generator and the bulb, and means operable from without the casing adjustable to con-' trol the quality of current fed from the generator to the bulb.

4. A portable electric lamp comprising a cylindri al casing, a bulb therein at one end, a lens and a reflector associated with said bulb, a generator within the casing, a spring motor for driving the generator, a gear me hanism interposed between the generator and the motor, the generator, the motor and the gear mechanism being substantially in alinement within the casing extending from the bulb toward the opposite end of the casing, electrical connections between the generator and the bulb, and means operable from without the casing adjustable to control the operation of the generator at will.

5. A portable electric lamp comprising a casing having a bulb socket at one end thereof and having a lens and reflector associated with said socket, a removable transverse plate within the casing supporting said socket, a source of electric energy beneath said plate having a contact member carried at the upper side of the plate adjacent the socket to be engaged by a bulb or the like inserted into said socket, opposite contact terminals projecting toward said plate, the

plate having a pair of contact terminals con nected with said bulb socket and with said contact member respectivelyand carried at its under side for cooperative engagement with said first terminals upon insertion of said plate, and a removable member to retain said lens, reflector, socket and plate in position with the terminals of said plate engaging said first terminals.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of'two witnesses.

DE WITT C. CONKLING. Witnesses: L. Gnssronn HANDY,

MAY SonULz. 

